Things to Do in the Salar de Uyuni and Surroundings, the Most Incredible Places!

If you are planning to travel to Bolivia, this is an article that will surely help you, because we will talk about one of the most important tourist sites in the country. Today we will tell you things to do in the Salar de Uyuni and surroundings.

The Salar de Uyuni is located in southern Bolivia, right in the middle of the Andes, and is known for being the largest salt flat in the world.

Within this immense salt desert, you can find a lot of natural attractions such as volcanoes, lagoons, rock formations, hot springs and geysers.

In its more than 11,000 square kilometers of extension (and also in its surroundings) there are countless places to visit. So, we decided to make a compilation of the best things to do in the Salar de Uyuni and summarize it in this article so you can organize your next trip.

If you are traveling to Uyuni, you will surely be interested in our complete guide to visit the Salar de Uyuni.

Map of things to do in the Salar de Uyuni and surrounding area

Below you will find the map with all the sites mentioned:

Things to do in the Salar de Uyuni, the main attractions within the salt mine

To start with this list of places to visit in the Salar de Uyuni, we will begin by talking about the different tourist attractions found within the enormous salt flat.

Later on, you will see another section where we will talk more in depth about other places you can visit in the surroundings of Uyuni, if you have several days.

1) Visiting Incahuasi Island

Incahuasi Island is one of the most famous sites to see in the Salar de Uyuni and, therefore, one of the most visited.

It is located about 45 kilometers from the nearest entrance and can be accessed by private vehicle or by hiring an excursion.

It is a petrified coral island with cacti that exceed 10 meters in height. From there, you can have a 360° view of the entire salt desert.

Please note that to get to Incahuasi Island, you will have to hike for about 50 minutes.

An entrance fee must bepaid before starting the ascent to be able to visit this area, but it is certainly worth it.

In the place you will find a small museum and there are also restrooms available and some salt tables and chairs where you can sit down to rest and have something to eat.

2) Visiting the Ojos del Salar

Los Ojos del Salar is another place you have to visit in the Salar de Uyuni to appreciate the wonders of nature.

This site is located about 27 kilometers from the town of Uyuni and can be accessed on your own or by taking an excursion that includes a visit.

The Ojos del Salar are small lagoons formed by the water that emerges from the subway rivers under the salt flats.

Underneath the earth, along with the water, there is air which, when it rises to the surface, exerts pressure and causes these water wells to constantly form bubbles.

The ideal way to visit this part of the Salar de Uyuni is to do it with a guide, since they will be in charge of telling you in detail all the curiosities about this natural phenomenon.

3) Touring Fish Island

Isla del Pescado is often confused with Incahuasi and many tourists think that both names refer to the same place.

Isla del Pescado, however, is located 22 kilometers from Incahuasi and, although it has similar characteristics, it is a smaller and much less crowded place.

This island of rocks and cactus is so named because during the rainy season, when the salt flat floods, it simulates the shape of a fish coming out of the water.

As I mentioned above, Isla del Pescado is not as popular as Incahuasi and is not exploited for tourism, so you will not find any services such as restrooms, museums or souvenir stores.

4) To visit the Abandoned Train Cemetery

The Train Cemetery is another of the sites to see in the Salar de Uyuni that is included in the most common tourist tours.

Most of the typical day trips offered to see the great salt flat have a stop inside this ghost station.

In 1890, in this place, there used to be a train station whose tracks connected with Antofagasta (currently part of the Chilean territory). From there, locomotives pulled wagons full of tin, gold and silver.

Today, all that remains are its ruins. A pile of rusty engines and train wrecks lying in the middle of nowhere.

The old locomotives, the wagons in ruins and the graffiti painted on them, contrast with the white background of the salt flats and the light blue sky. For this reason, many tourists choose this place to take pictures as if they were part of a movie.

5) Visit the Salt Palace

We reached the last point in the list of things to do in the Salar de Uyuni, to then give way to the tourist attractions that surround it.

The Palacio de Sal was built in 1998 and has the peculiarity of having been the first hotel built with salt blocks.

This 4-star hotel is located on the shores of the salt flats and welcomes guests who wish to spend the night under the starry sky of the salt desert, , as well as curious tourists who simply want to take a look at the facilities or have lunch in its restaurant.

The visit to the Salt Palace Hotel isalso one of the most common stops within the typical circuits offered by tourist agencies, so if you plan to hire a tour to visit the Salar de Uyuni, you will surely know it.

Do you want to stay at the Salt Palace Hotel before starting your excursion to the salt flat? Check prices and book here.

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What to do near the Salar de Uyuni? Places to visit in the surroundings of the salt flats

Having finished with the places to visit inside the salt flat, we will now start with a list of places to visit in the surroundings of Uyuni.

The entire route that we will share with you below is a circuit that runs along the border between Bolivia and Chile from the salt flats to the south.

Some of the sections are quite long if you start from Uyuni town, therefore, it is advisable to stop in other towns if you want to visit each of the sites we are going to mention.

For this, you can hire a 3 or 4 day tour departing from Uyuni and arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, or returning to the starting point.

This is the best way to tour around Uyuni without having to worry about transfers and lodging.

If you are going to visit the surroundings of Uyuni, you might be interested in this article where we will tell you things to do in San Pedro de Atacama.

1) Admire the imposing Ollagüe Volcano.

Ollagüe Volcano is an active volcano that rises to 5870 meters above sea level and is located on the border of Bolivia and Chile.

Although it is possible to climb to its summit, to do so you must cross to the Chilean side. From the base of the volcano, you can climb in a 4×4 vehicle up to 5,000 meters and then hike to the summit.

It is not recommended to visit between the months of December and February, since during the rainy season, the roads are in very bad condition.

You should also keep in mind that temperatures can drop to -20°C, so you should be well equipped with cold weather clothing.

In case you don’t want to make the ascent, there is a lookout point on the Bolivian side that you can easily reach and admire the views from there.

The trip to the Ollagüe Volcano viewpoint takes about 3.5 hours if you drive from the town of Uyuni.

2) Tour the Hedionda Lagoon and its surroundings.

Another thing to do near the Salar de Uyuni is to visit the Laguna Hedionda, a saltwater mirror of about 5 square kilometers.

This lagoon is located 205 kilometers from the town of Uyuni and it is possible to visit it on the same day, or, as we mentioned before, you can travel there and look for lodging in the area.

Around Laguna Hedionda, there are other nearby lagoons that can be visited on the same route, such as Charcota, Cañapa and Laguna Honda.

Besides being a beautiful landscape, with a lagoon that reflects the snow-capped mountains, this site is the habitat of several animals such as flamingos and vizcachas that you can easily spot.

3) Visit the curious Salvador Dalí Desert.

Continuing our tour around Uyuni, we arrive at the Salvador Dalí Desert, whose name is due to the resemblance of its landscapes with some of the works of this renowned painter.

It is a desolate place, with reddish and brown colors and several rock formations that have been eroded by the wind, forming some curious figures, among them“the stone tree“, one of the most famous spots in the desert.

Although this desert is located 355 kilometers from the town of Uyuni, the journey by vehicle can take more than 6 hours due to its winding road. So, in this case, you will have to spend the night in a nearby town.

4) Visit the Laguna Colorada

If you continue south, visiting the surroundings of Uyuni, you will find the incredible Laguna Colorada, full of flamingos, vicuñas, llamas and different migratory birds.

The color of this lagoon is due to the different sediments and types of algae that inhabit its waters.

Although the color is not always the same. Depending on the time of day and the weather, you may see it more reddish or brownish.

The contrasting colors of the deep red lagoon, the blue sky, the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains and the native fauna roaming around, make this visit one of the best things to do near the Salar de Uyuni.

5) Admiring the geysers at Sol de Mañana

The next stop on this tour around Uyuni is the Sol de Mañana geothermal field, located about 30 kilometers from Laguna Colorada.

This site is a desert area of about 2 square kilometers, where you can find geysers expelling steam and hot water with so much pressure that the eruptions can reach 50 meters high.

The landscape of this place seems to be taken from Mars itself. It is a place that we could not compare with any other place we have visited.

About 25 kilometers from Sol de Mañana, you can find the Polques hot springs, a place with very hot waters where you can take a bath.

Spending time immersed in hot springs while admiring the scenery is one of the most relaxing and incredible activities to do near the Salar de Uyuni.

The hot springs have a service area where you can access bathrooms, dressing rooms and a dining room where you can have lunch. However, you will have to pay a fee to use the facilities.

✏️TIP! The best time to visit the geysers is early in the morning, as this is the time of day when they are most active. Although it will also be quite cold, so bring plenty of warm clothes (and a bathing suit if you dare to take a dip).

6) Visit the immense Lincabur Volcano and the Green and White Lagoons.

We arrive at the last site of the tour around Uyuni where you can admire the imposing Lincabur Volcano and, a short distance away, you will have the opportunity to visit the Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde.

The Lincabur Volcano is located on the border of Bolivia and Chile and is about 5,920 meters high.

At its foot, on the Bolivian side, is Laguna Verde, which reflects the snow-capped summit of the volcano. And around the lagoon, alpacas and vicuñas roam freely in the area.

To the east, next to Laguna Verde, is Laguna Blanca, a saltwater lake that owes its color to the minerals that compose it and together with the brightness of the sun, forms a mirror that reflects the sky and the mountains.

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Useful information for travel to the Uyuni Salt Flat

First of all, do not miss our guide with all the practical information to travel to the Salar de Uyuni, especially with the best time to travel and how to get from different parts of Bolivia and neighboring countries, or if you prefer to do it on your own or with a tour.

Although you will find all the details in the article mentioned above, here is a summary of the most important tours:

• Salar de Uyuni tour in 3 days, how to get to salar de uyuni:
  • From Uyuni and ending in Uyuni.
  • From Puno and ending in Puno – passing through La Paz.
  • From La Paz and ending in La Paz.
  • From La Paz and ending in La Paz, plus the Ruta de la Muerte.
  • From La Paz to San Pedro de Atacama. This is the tour I did with my friends!
  • From Potosí and ending in Potosí.
• Salar de Uyuni tour in 5 days, how to get to salar de Uyuni:
  • From La Paz and ending in La Paz.
  • From La Paz and ending in La Paz, plus the Ruta de la Muerte.
• One day tour to Salar de Uyuni:
  • Day trip from Uyuni to enter the Salar.
  • Take the opportunity to visit the Salar de Uyuni at sunrise (from Uyuni).

Buy your travel insurance and travel safe!

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And so we end this article where we tell you things to do in the Salar de Uyuni and surroundings. I hope you liked it and that you are encouraged to explore this unusual destination on our planet.